Rochester Fair events manager quits over shift in fair's vision

Friday

Feb 9, 2018 at 4:24 PMFeb 9, 2018 at 5:41 PM

Kyle Stucker @KyleRStucker

ROCHESTER — A significant shake-up involving the leadership of the Rochester Fair has occurred, and sources say remaining fair officials have decided not to pursue in full the community- and agriculturally-focused vision that has been publicly outlined over the past few months for the fair’s resurrection.

Effective Friday, Rochester Fairgrounds Events Manager Vicky Poland says she has ended her contractual arrangement over the change in the fair’s direction. Poland’s resignation, which she said isn’t quite a resignation because she was an independent contractor, also follows the recent resignations of two members of the fair’s board of directors.

Steve Beaudoin and Bill Creteau both stepped down recently, reportedly due to work and commitments independent of the fair. Combined with the previously reported Nov. 20 resignation of board President Norm Vetter, as well as last summer’s election of new members to the board, the Rochester Fair’s current leadership looks dramatically different from the group that cancelled the 2017 fair last May.

“The board that hired me in October, the majority of those folks had a vision consistent with what my vision was of the fair — an agriculturally based, community-based fair that would reach into the community to have the community involved,” said Poland. “With the resignations on the board, the board has shifted their vision to what the fair will be. It’s not a vision I support, so the board and I have parted ways as of today.”

The Rochester Fair and the Rochester Fairgrounds are owned by a nonprofit group of stockholders known as the Rochester Agricultural and Mechanical Association. RAMA’s board of directors decided last May that there would be no 2017 Rochester Fair in order to give themselves time to restructure the fair and find ways to address the fair’s sizable debts and declining revenue.

Later in the year, after restructuring the mortgage on the fairgrounds, RAMA’s board announced the Rochester Fair would in fact return for its 142nd installment in 2018 as a retooled, four-day agricultural fair that would run from Sept. 13-16.

The board hired Poland in the fall to shepherd some of the retooling as well as to bring off-season events and revenue streams to the property. In the months since, Poland has spoken at numerous public gatherings and events about how the 2018 fair would focus primarily on community and agricultural attractions, in addition to possibly bringing back harness horse racing in the form of demonstrations.

Sandra Keans, who is filling Vetter’s vacated RAMA seat on an interim basis, confirmed Poland’s resignation Friday. She described the departure as a “mutual thing” because the board had planned to lay off Poland indefinitely due to the fact there is no money to pay her.

“There’s not enough money there” to keep paying Poland, said Keans. Keans also praised Poland’s work and said the impending layoff wasn’t based on performance.

Interim RAMA President Nancy Gilbert voiced similar remarks Friday. In response, Poland reiterated her decision is due to the board’s vision for the fair, not anything to do with money or any knowledge of an impending layoff.

Gilbert said Poland’s claims about the shift in vision are “not untrue.” Gilbert used the word “evolving” numerous times while describing the planned format of this year’s fair because the board is still working to determine, based on financial factors, what will and won’t be featured when it opens in September.

“There’s so much that’s unsettled,” said Gilbert. “We are morphing back, but not 100 percent. We appreciate (Poland’s) input and what she has been doing, but we plan to incorporate more of what we’ve had in the past.

“We’re trying to combine the old vision and the new one.”

Among the so-called traditional Rochester Fair fixtures that will likely be added back into the fair will be the demolition derby, according to Gilbert. The carnival-like midway will also likely be similar to the one at recent Rochester Fairs, whereas Poland’s plan drastically cut the midway and moved it away from the fair’s main entrance.

Gilbert said the board felt it “needed to have a little bit more” of those than what Poland was outlining.

“That wasn’t in her plan,” Gilbert said, adding that board still believes it will be important this year to bring in more community vendors and exhibitors than ever before. “The board members feel that is a pretty nice income that goes along with the fair.”

The board’s hope is the fair will make enough money this year to “pay for itself,” according to Gilbert.

In December, Poland mentioned a number of off-season events were in the works to help bring revenue to the fairgrounds. One of the January events ultimately fell through while other events are still in the works, according to Gilbert. The next planned event is a snowmobile event on Feb. 24.

Other members of RAMA’s board couldn’t immediately be reached for comment for this story. Creteau stepped down this week, while Beaudoin, RAMA’s treasurer, stepped down roughly three or four weeks ago, Gilbert confirmed Friday.

The next meeting of RAMA’s board is at 4 p.m. Monday inside the office on the Rochester Fairgrounds. It’s unknown how much of the meeting will be public and how much will be nonpublic.

During the meeting, Gilbert said the board is expected to determine which directors will be responsible for Poland’s various duties moving forward, as well as name Beaudoin’s interim successor as board treasurer. She said the board may also vote to appoint on an interim basis at least one stockholder to fill one of the two open spots on the board, similar to how Keans was appointed to fill Vetter’s seat last fall.

Keans and the replacements for Beaudoin and Creteau will fill the vacancies until the annual RAMA stockholders’ meeting later this year, when stockholders will elect the individuals to serve out those terms.

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